Pool filter/black diamond sand Planted Tank

Good day everyone, i have watched a few Videos going around of Fishaholics using Black Diamond Sandblasting media as a substrate in their fish tanks, i absolutely love the look of it, i have a new 600L tank which im looking to add this too, wanted to know if anyone has used it and what was your experience. Alternatively i also want to know about pool filter sand and if anyone has successfully used the substrate with a planted tank, as the Seachem sand is way to expensive to fill the 600L tank, any tips and tricks would be appreciated.

 

Black diamond blasting sand is lovely, its easy to maintain and generally a great substrate-so is pool filter sand. Its a good price to cover a 600l tank footprint and its really about what you prefer and what are you stocking in the tank. Pool filter sand is less forgiving of dirt but with regular siphoning you can keep things neat. Now do you want real plants in there? if you do then you can do one of 3 things.
1.Use a dirted tank method of using prepared, washed organic compost media as a base with your blasting or filter sand as cap
2. Buy a bag of planted substrate at R500-R900 and plan straight away where your plants are going to be and only use planted substrate in specific areas of planting
3. use either of your two original choices and use root-tabs under the roots of plants you want to keep and fertilise directly to the water column using a liquid fertiliser. OR use epiphyte type plants that do not feed through the root system and are just tied to rocks and wood.

So really its up to aesthetics and needs of plants....if you're doing a non-planted setup-go with what you like the look of.

 

Thank you for the feedback, i was looking to go with the pool filter sand, but couldn't find a means to use a substrate designed for the plants as the darkened sand and PFS would mix, looked into getting the BDS with a bag of the correct Substrate, and use tabs aswel. tho cost wise im still questioning it( main reasons being when the substrate needs to be changed a year from now or so i would need to replace everything)

Would Using PFS and tabs/liquid fertilizer be enough for a planted tank without any organic substrates etc? im aware of the more work required to keep it looking clean, im alright with this. would you recommend a place i can buy the black Diamond sand? ive looked around and im battling to find it

 

The PFS and a Langa Soil/ADA/PRODIBIO-type substrate will mix but you can also put your planted substrate into clay pots and bury them underneath the PFS for a quick easy solution. So also depends if you want low-tech plants like Amazon Swords or Aponogetons etc you can plant them in pots with a root tab and planted substrate and then use your hardscape like rock work and driftwood to add Anubias, Bucephalandra and mosses and Java ferns. Good quality planted substrate should give you about 3-4 years of efficacy. With good lighting most low tech plants will give you good results with liquid fertiliser and root tabs.

 

Unfortunately I have no clue where you can buy black diamond sand in large quantities...Let me ask around. Id imagine Jungle Aquatics in Broadacres will have

 

i have noticed jungle aquatics is one of the most expensive stores in the area, i stay 2min away from there, ill pop in and ask but highly doubt it. i want to go for a low tech planted tank, have java ferns, anubias and amazon swords in my 200L tank, but im using pea size gravel with no substate, potted in normal garden soil washed. with tabs and liq fertilizers, tho my Corycats are digging it up it has worked well. i will attach a photo of something i want to accomplish with my 600L tank, its going to be a Oscar tank (i have been advised against having them in planted tanks, i have had them before tho and i dont think it was that bad) i have a Mpanda 70cm LED High tank LED light 18W, i will need to test to see if its enough once i set it up.

Again thank you for the feedback, it has helped me rather go with the potted idea rather then forking out for the substrate. i have 30cm clay bonsai pots that i can use to get the most of it. thanks again

 

Ive seen people do beautiful planted oscar tanks. The photo attached will be super easy to achieve with black diamond blasting sand. A big piece of driftwood you can maximise on height and add epiphyte plants. Maybe check in with aqua Empire and Lifestyle Garden pets if you can hook up a large variety of Anubias (I think its called anubis gigantia). That will give you a good scale and its inedible for the oscar. Crypts will also grow in there with root tabs...cant wait to see your result

 

Here's mine, only pfs, nothing else, no root tabs, I use seachem flourish and excel, but I'm not regular about that, I keep forgetting, but I am trying to get on top of that.
Plants are simple though, there's giant hygro, water wisteria, star grass, bocopa moneiri, Amazon sword and I think it's rotala? @TetraJacques I keep forgetting which in the red one is and you keep telling me
There's also some anubias on the log, some Java moss and hornwort.

 

I'd go with PFS, @T. Guppy and @A new day has great success wih it. My own experience I struggled to grow anything in black diamond sand.

Alternanthera Reineckii you must start remembering now. I

 

I'll write alternanthera reineckii over and over again until it sticks

 

Try titanium slag. Have been using it for several years now:

 

@Hendre that is nice, where did you get the titanium slag?

 

First at a fish shop, then found it cheap at a landscaping rocks depo

 

I like the colour of the titanium slag....never used it, but gives you that tone thats close to the colour of wood and rock

 

It's a bit overexposed in the photo

That should give a better idea

 

Your tank is looking amazing!!!

 

Thank you @MariaS !!